The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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257222 Tpr. Alexander Rodger Hoggan MM. British Army 2nd Dragoon Guards Alexander Hoggan was my late father. He enlisted into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders when he was about 19. He requested and was granted a transfer into the Scots Guards. He saw service in Hong Kong and Shanghai in the Guards with the Shanghai Defence Force. After completing his service he was placed in reserve for, I think, 7 or 12 years. In 1941 age 37 he re enlisted. He was now in the Queen's Bays and told he was now in a Cavalry Regiment. He protested "I don't know anything about horses!" and was told "you won't be on a horse laddie you will be on a tank or armoured car in the Royal Armoured Corps." He ended up in North Africa in the 1st Army under Wavell I think. After various engagements his vehicle, a petrol carrier, was disabled in the Battle of Knightsbridge Box and he was taken prisoner. He eventually ended up in Campo PG 52 in Northern Italy. Dad told me that he escaped from the camp but was recaptured by black shirt Fascist police an flung into a civilian gaol. He was languishing in a tiny cell for two months when the prison was inspected by a German officer. This officer was told that he was an escaped PoW and the German officer had Dad returned to a PoW camp. Dad had been beaten regularly by the Italian guards so he was glad to be back in a PoW camp. He had expected to be shot as he was in civilian clothes when the police caught him. To shorten this story dad managed to escape again when outside camp in a work party. Italian partisans where involved in this escape and Dad joined up with them. Dad fought with the partisans for about 18 months and day he and another two partisans were in a ditch watching the approach of a military type vehicle. Dad and his companions were ready to machine gun it with their captured Mauser Machine pistols when they noticed the big white star on the bonnet of the jeep. The three men waked slowly in to the road with hands upraised, and the Americans captured them and brought them back to the American Lines. Dad was able to give the Americans very useful information about German strength and their whereabouts. The Yanks treated them royally and in fact flew Dad back to Britain in an American transport plane. The London Gazette recorded the Military Medal he was awarded was for special operations behind enemy lines. Dad died in a NZ Army Veterans home in 2000. Needless to say Dad was a typical Glaswegian hard case. Alex Andrew Hoggan Add to this record.  Related Content: Queens Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards) Western Desert Campaign in North Africa Prigione di Guerra (Campo) P.G. 52 Prisoner of War Camp Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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